Delhi has lost the gains of its CNG programme. Its air is increasingly becoming more polluted and unbreathable, bringing back the pre-CNG days when diesel-driven buses and autos had made it one of the most polluted cities on earth.

The Copenhagen Accord that India plans to sign here will instantly forgive industrialised countries’ historical responsibility for climate change, eliminate the distinction between developed and developing countries, prevent effective action to curb global warming, and fatally undermine efforts to renew the Kyoto Protocol. This will be disastrous for the climate, and for India’s most vulnerable communities, says Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).

The global water crisis is a crisis of mismanagement. Indiscriminate use of water and the “flush and forget” mindset has worsened the crisis by adding the pollution challenge. This has severe implications on the society, especially the poor, its health and socio-economic well-being. Take for instance India where about 85 per cent of urban sewage goes untreated, polluting water supply sources like rivers, lakes and groundwater. And remember polluted water is the biggest killer of babies (infants).

CSE is an independent, public interest organisation into advocacy and knowledge based activism on issues of science, technology, environment and development. CSE has been actively campaigning on the issues of water, air pollution, tribals and forests and other issues of environment since its inception in 1980s.